The Paradox Abyss
by EspeonSilverfire2
Summary: Yugi wakes up in a strange white nowhere with his Millennium Puzzle. But the Pharaoh is nowhere to be found, and it seems that Yugi is not quite as alone as he first assumes. Loosely based on the 10th Anniversary. ON HIATUS due to busy schedule.
1. Abyss

A/N: This is my first Yu-Gi-Oh fanfic, and is loosely based on the 10th Anniversary. Very loosely based.

**-The Paradox Abyss-**

**Chapter 1**

Yugi blinked open his eyes and kept blinking until his vision focused. Of course, it was very hard to tell if his eyesight was indeed clear, as all he could see for what could possibly be miles was white. With a slight huff of breath he sat up and checked his surroundings once again. Still a vast emptiness loomed around him.

For anyone else, this would definitely be a deeply disturbing and impossible occurrence. But he was Yugi Mutou: the King of Games, owner of the ancient Millennium Puzzle, and the world's greatest (and possibly shortest) duelist. For him, things like this happened on a regular basis. At least he wasn't alone.

"Pharaoh? Are you there? Do you know what's going on?" Yugi clutched the Puzzle around his neck, and then shook it for good measure.

No answer.

"Pharaoh? Pharaoh! Pharaoh?!"

Still nothing. A tear welled up in one of Yugi's wide puppy eyes. "Pharaoh..." It trickled down his cheek. He sniffed and looked around again. Knowing that he had to be strong, that his Yami would _want_ him to be strong, he wiped the tear away with his sleeve and stood up.

'I have to find the Pharaoh,' he thought. 'And the first thing I have to do in order to find him, is find out where I am.'

And with that, he set of into the white.

-

A similar set of eyes blinked open and stared out into the vast emptiness that surrounded them also. Strong hands reached up and brushed through the spiky, multicoloured hair atop their head. A deep groan escaped their lips as they slid into a sitting position.

"Where... where am I?" Dark eyes flickered around their sockets, taking in the emptiness. "Yugi? Where are you, Yugi?"

The Pharaoh's hand automatically reached down for his Puzzle, but closed on empty air. "Huh?" He looked down and saw that his Millennium Item was not there. "My Puzzle!"

Yami Yugi stood up and once again looked around at the nothing. He ventured a shout. "Yugi?!" A pause, and no reply. "YUGI?!" Still no response. He sighed and tried a different approach.

"HELLO?! ANYONE?!"

Silence. No sound greeted him except the gentle sigh of his own breath, and the pounding beat of his own heart.

The knife of loneliness and grief pierced him deep, followed by a sharp slice of anger. "I _will _find my friends!"

He took a few swift strides forwards, still calling out to anyone who might be listening.

"YUGI?! JOEY?! TEA?! TRISTAN?! ... ANYONE?!"

His jaw tight, he carried on into the bright abyss.

-

After what felt like an hour, Yugi finally saw a change up ahead. A bright red dot appeared on the horizon; small and tiny but also a beacon of hope. A pulse of excitement burst through Yugi, and he broke into one of the fastest runs of his entire life, except for maybe the time Joey and Tristan had thought it would be funny to chase him on the latter's motorcycle. There was something out there, perhaps it was even the Pharaoh. Or one of his friends. He could do with some company right now.

And even if it was another evil villain out to steal his Puzzle or send him to the Shadow Realm, at least they might be able to explain what was going on.

"HELLO?! HEY! YOU THERE! HEY!"

A tiny flicker of movement from the dot indicated that his cry had been received. A faint voice called back.

"Hello?! Over here! Here!"

Yugi grinned and sprinted onwards.

-

The first thing that Yami noticed was not right was the annoying buzzing that had begun to drone around him. It reminded him somewhat of the sound of an angry bee. He sincerely hoped that that wasn't the case. The last thing he needed was being stung while he was searching for his friends. Not that he would let some miniscule insect get in his way.

The second thing that Yami noticed was that the buzz was getting louder, and was no longer so much a buzz as a hum. For some inexplicable reason he was reminded of the time that Joey and Tristan had decided to chase down Yugi on a motorcycle. It seemed like that whatever was making the noise was drawing closer. And it seemed to be coming from up ahead.

"Hmm. What is that?"

A tiny dot appeared on the horizon up ahead, rapidly getting bigger. The Pharaoh stopped and watched as it approached. He tensed and folded his arms, ready to stare whoever was approaching into submission. He'd often found intimidation an effective tactic before.

A few seconds later, the shape became recognisable as a person riding a motorcycle. Well, that would explain why he'd happened to remember the Joey and Tristan incident. Light glinted off of the vehicle as the rider swerved to a stop before him. A fairly shortish young man stepped off and stood up straight, brushing down his rugged blue jacket. He raised his arms up and lifted a gleaming red helmet off of his head. Glossy dark hair streaked with gold sprung up from underneath.

"At least I've found somebody," the stranger said. "The name's Yusei. Yusei Fudo. Do you mind telling me where the hell I am? And you on earth you are?"


	2. Kings

A/N: Thank you to everyone who's been nice enough to review so far! here's the next chapter. Sorry it's been a while between it being written and uploaded, I've been a little busy with other things. Please, enjoy! Oh, and by the way, unless used for emphasis, ' ' means a thought. Normally I use italics but some things don't take them and I know others who use this technique. Just to let you know.

**Chapter 2**

The Pharaoh blinked in surprise at the stranger standing before him. This 'Yusei' wasn't much taller than he was, but had just addressed him as if he were… he were… Yami couldn't think of any words to describe it, but his blood simmered slightly. Knowing that Yugi would be welcoming to everyone until they'd at least tried to disembowel him, he took a deep breath and replied coolly,

"I don't know where I am, or what exactly this place is. I just woke up here, like I'm sure you probably did. Right now, I'm just looking for my friend. He's out here somewhere, I'm sure of it. He has to be."

Yusei tilted his head slightly and his expression was thoughtful, but there was something about his eyes. They were deep and penetrating, and it seemed like there would be nothing that they would miss, that no detail was too small for them to catch.

"I guess if you're sure your friend is here, then maybe my friends might be here too. Though I'm nowhere near as sure as you sound."

Satisfaction flickered through Yami. He was right. This guy didn't miss a thing.

"You still haven't told me who you are."

Yami froze. He'd deliberately tried to avoid answering this question. How does one go about explaining the complex intricacies of his and Yugi's situation to a total stranger? His head whipped back slightly, and a short huff of breath escaped his suddenly clenched teeth. If this guy could read him like an open book, then he'd just presented him with the large print version.

Yusei raised an eyebrow and stared at Yami. "Well?"

'He won't trust me if I don't tell him,' the Pharaoh thought. 'And right now, he's the only person I've found here. And I need all the help I can get.'

"Have you ever heard of Yugi Mutou, the King of Games?" he tried, testing to see how hard this explanation was going to be.

Yusei thought about that for a moment. "I've heard of him, yeah. But just a little. Only stories and the like."

Yami smiled. Maybe this wouldn't be too bad.

Yusei's eyes flickered back to the Pharaoh's face. "Are you trying to tell me you're Yugi Mutou?"

Yami titled his head to one side, his eyebrows lowered, and gave him a small sideways grin. "In some ways."

"What do you mean 'in some ways'?"

"Well, you see… um…" Suddenly he was lost for words again. He closed his eyes and tried to focus.

'Focus, Pharaoh. I have to focus.' He opened his eyes again and continued.

"Yugi has an ancient Egyptian artifact called the Millennium Puzzle, which contains the spirit of a Pharaoh. Both Yugi and the spirit share Yugi's body."

Yusei's eyebrow crept further up his face. "And you're the Pharaoh?"

Yami blinked for a second. He'd assumed Yusei would think he was Yugi. But then, he had said that 'in some ways' he was Yugi. That had probably been a giant hint. "Mm-hmm."

Yusei looked him up and down. "You're pretty short for a Pharaoh. I'd have thought you'd be taller, to, y'know, tower over your subjects…"

The Pharaoh chuckled slightly. "Well not me."

Yusei laughed. "Guess that's why they all have to bow down!"

Yami laughed quietly again. Perhaps this guy was going to trust him after all. But he still hadn't felt as humiliated as he had during his explanation just then in his entire existence.

"I suppose that makes about as much sense as signers and crimson dragons," Yusei continued, his laugh dwindling to just a snigger.

"Signers?" Yami was intrigued. He'd never heard of 'signers' before.

"There're 5 signers, and we've each got a mark that's part of the Crimson Dragon."

"Ah. Right. So then- "

But the Pharaoh's next question was cut short as the sound of yet another motorcycle began to hum in the distance.

"That sounds like another Duel Runner!" Yusei exclaimed.

The hum grew louder and a white glint flickered nearer. As it approached, Yusei cried out again. "That's Jack!"

"Jack?" the Pharaoh asked, as the white duel runner skidded to a halt.

"Yeah, that's right, and it's Jack Atlas to you, shortie," the man announced as he stepped off his vehicle and removed his helmet.

"I wouldn't talk to him like that if I were you, Jack," Yusei warned him.

"And who does he think he is then?"

"He's Yugi, the King of Games."

Jack's jaw dropped and he gazed at the Pharaoh. "That's Yugi Mutou?!"

Yusei nodded and Yami grinned.

"Well in that case he won't mind if I challenge him to a duel!"

Yami frowned in irritation. He had no time for unnecessary dueling. He had to find his friends.

"Not now. I have to find Y- "

He'd been about to say 'Yugi', but this 'Jack Atlas', with his sharp blonde hair and violet eyes, wouldn't understand that yet. So he hastily corrected himself. "I mean, my friend."

Jack huffed and turned back to Yusei. "Any idea where we are?"

Yusei shook his head. "Not a clue. But I suggest we get back on our Duel Runners and take a look for anybody else that's still out there."

Jack gave Yusei a cold look, but replied, "OK, but you're taking the shrimp- I mean, King of Games."

Yami glared coldly at Jack, the air between the two almost visibly freezing, but didn't make a comment.

"Right. Let's go then." Having said this, Yusei put his helmet back on and slid onto the seat of his Runner. The Pharaoh perched on the back and grabbed hold of Yusei's waist. Not the most comfortable situation he'd ever been in, but not the worst, he had to admit.

Jack was already back on his vehicle and skidding off into the abyss. As Yusei's Runner lurched forwards, Yami could only think of his partner.

'Hang on, Yugi. I'm coming to find you.'


	3. Dragons

A/N- Thanks for all the reviews/favourites/alerts! I really appreciate it! Here's the third chapter. I think it's better written than the other two, but not so much witty dialogue (not that the dialogue was very witty in the first place)! Sorry it took me a while to write, I've been very busy the past few days.

Oh, and Jaden is from the first season of GX, I think. I haven't seen much GX, but it's definately from before the final few episodes (of the japanese, not the dub). Yusei and Jack were from round about the time we first learn about earthbound immortals (not seen a lot of 5Ds either though), and Yugi is from just before the final season.

--

**Chapter 3**

The figure in the distance was now recognizable as a boy, not much taller than Yugi himself, with more-or-less normal brown hair and a red jacket. He was grinning and waving as Yugi approached, but his jaw dropped in awe as Yugi finally stopped before him.

"You're Yugi!" the boy exclaimed, open-mouthed. He was staring at Yugi as if he'd just seen one of the real Egyptian Gods. Obelisk, perhaps. Maybe the Winged dragon of Ra. "You gave me this card!"

He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a much-stroked duel monsters card. He held it up for the King of Games to see.

Yugi leaned forwards in puzzlement. "Winged Kuriboh," he read out-loud. His brow creased in bewilderment. "That's strange. I've never seen Winged Kuriboh, or you, before."

The brown-haired boy did a double-take, then peered closer at Yugi. He thought back to all the posters he'd seen of the legendary King of Games. This looked like Yugi when he first became famous, and he'd met him ten years on from that. Could it be that this Yugi was from an earlier point in history? Was this some sort of time warp or something?

Yugi thought that now would be a good time to introduce himself better.

"Yes, I'm Yugi. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand and the boy numbly shook it. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jaden," he introduced himself. "Jaden Yuki. I really love Duel Monsters!"

Yugi laughed quietly. "That's funny, so do I!"

Both boys laughed harder, before Yugi turned more serious. "Have you seen anyone else around here?"

Jaden's face looked blank. He blinked. "No. Why?"

"I've lost my… friend. He should be with me."

Jaden's face turned sympathetic. "Don't worry, I'll help you find him!"

Yugi smiled. "Thank you."

Jaden grinned in reply and grabbed Yugi by the arm, dragging him forwards into the abyss in the opposite direction to which he'd come. Yugi's eyes widened in astonishment as he let out a "Waah!" and his startled face made Jaden laugh even more. "Let's get going then!"

--

About ten minutes of aimless walking later, the two boys stumbled across the first piece of scenery anyone had encountered within the abyss so far. Of course, they both wished they hadn't.

"It looks like a fossil…" Jaden gaped, staring at the eyesore.

"More like a grave…" Yugi murmured, shuddering slightly, the shiver running uncontrollably down his spine. He suddenly felt very small, very feeble and very fragile.

Light from an impossible source glinted off the polished white bones of what had once been a dragon. A giant, magnificent, _powerful_ dragon.

"A Blue Eyes White Dragon…" Jaden breathed. "But how…?"

"I don't think we should stick around long enough to find out," Yugi responded. He began to back away, still facing towards the gleaming skeleton. He was unable to tear his eyes from it.

"You're right," Jaden agreed. He too was backing away.

Just then, a shrieking roar shattered their ears from behind. Both boys spun around and Yugi gasped.

"The Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

The dragon's roar split the air again and it squared up to attack.

"Run!" yelled Jaden, but Yugi was frozen to the spot. They'd never get away in time. Besides, this was Joey's dragon. He didn't believe it could ever hurt him.

"It won't hurt us," Yugi said determinedly.

Jaden's head snapped round to gawk at him.

"Are you mad?! Look what it did to the Blue Eyes!"

"This is Joey's Red Eyes. He and Kaiba have always had a rivalry, but we're best friends. I don't think it could hurt me."

"Even so, that doesn't mean I'm safe."

Yugi turned his wide eyes on Jaden, meeting his gaze. "Trust me."

Suddenly, a voice cried out from behind the dragon.

"Yugi!"

Yugi leaned to one side and peered around the dragon, his eyes glowed when he recognized the figure.

"Joey!"

Joey grinned and reached out, petting his Red Eyes.

"It's great that you're okay, Yug!"

Yugi ran up to his friend and hugged him.

"You too! Where on Earth did you get a dragon?!"

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed Yug, we're not on Earth. And I don't know where it came from, it just sorta appeared when I pulled out my deck and wished for a faster mode of transportation than walking."

Joey scratched the back of his head and gave a sheepish grin.

"Joey, you're so lazy!"

From behind Yugi, Jaden sniggered.

"Who's that?" Joey asked.

"I'm Jaden," he introduced himself. "Nice to meetcha. Are you Joey Wheeler?"

"That's me."

"You're one of the best duelists in the world!"

Yugi frowned slightly. He didn't think Joey needed his ego stroking too much. Otherwise it could end up bigger than Kaiba's.

Joey beamed and struck a heroic pose. "Course it's just practice. And you gotta believe in the Heart of the Cards. Not forgettin'-"

"I think that's enough Joey. Can we share your dragon?" Yugi asked.

"Sure, Yug. But who or what're we lookin' for?"

Yugi's expression drifted towards sadness, and he looked down and grasped his Puzzle.

"Oh…" Joey murmured. "The Pharaoh…"

There was a long, awkward moment, before Joey spoke again. "Well, no point standin' around here all day. Let's get lookin' then!"

Jaden grinned and hopped up onto Red Eyes. Yugi began to follow him and smiled brightly up at Joey. "Thanks."

Joey beamed back. "That's what friends are for."

Yugi perched himself on the dragon's back behind Jaden and Joey climbed on behind him. They lurched forwards as the dragon lifted into the air.

'I'll find you Pharaoh. If Joey and Jaden are here, then so are you. I won't lose you.'


	4. Reunion

A/N- OK, here's the newest chapter! I've been very busy the past few days, and will be for the days to come as well, but I'l try and find some more time to write! I've just worked out how to send review replies, so from now on, if you send a review (and you're signed in etc.) you should get a reply (if I manage to remember. Sometimes it takes a while before the coffee takes effect...).

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and added this fic to their alerts so far, it really means a lot to me! This chapter is dedicated to you people. Thank you.

Oh, and I don't really write mushy stuff, but sometimes it slips in a bit (especially if I have happened to be reading that sort of thing, not that I normally do though). Just to tell you, there are no specifically intended pairings in this fic. But I do like the occasional hint at that sort of thing. Oh, and this is the chapter when you'll see why this fic is rated T. Just to let you know.

OK, massive author's note over! Enjoy the chapter! (Oh, and it's Children in Need tonight, so I hope if you're in the UK you support it. I donated and bought a glow stick. I like glowing stuff. :D )

**--**

**Chapter 4**

Yami's hair whipped around his head in a frenzy as he sped through the abyss, clinging to Yusei and the Duel Runner. All there seemed to be was endless white for miles around; a bleak and barren nowhere, lifeless and empty.

Every now and again, Jack would look around from his Runner up ahead and give him a strange look. His expression was reminiscent of one often used by Kaiba, and it made the Pharaoh's blood not only boil, but seethe and writhe and froth too. If he had been a cat, his hackles would be raised and Jack's face would have been clawed into non-existence by now.

In front of Yami and Yusei, Jack turned around and looked again. The Pharaoh growled audibly through clenched and bared teeth.

"Cool it. That's just Jack's way of judging someone," Yusei told him, glancing back over his shoulder. He had clearly heard the sound of his annoyance.

"And why exactly am I on trial?" Yami muttered.

Yusei ignored this remark. "He does this to everyone. Ignore it."

The Pharaoh murmured something unintelligible and unrepeatable. With a noise of 'Hmph...' he turned his head to the right and stared out into the blankness.

And saw a colour.

Several colours.

A feral roar shook through his bones as he recognised the unmistakable outline of the Red Eyes Black Dragon. And, perched upon its back, the blob-like shapes of three people.

'My friends!' The thought heralded a burst of joy which swept through him like a fresh summer breeze. Subconsciously, he thought that the rush of wind flowing through his hair from the Runner complemented it rather well.

"Yusei! Over there!" he cried out over the roar of the Runner, hope, joy and passion thick in his voice. Shifting his grip to predominantly his left hand, he reached out and pointed over towards the dragon.

He felt Yusei turn his head in the indicated direction, the smooth surface of his helmet brushing across his face and bashing him in the nose. With a grunt he raised his hand and rubbed his face, then clenched his hand unnecessarily tightly around the man's waist. He felt a small hint of satisfaction when he heard Yusei wince. It was petty, but gratifying.

"Hey Jack!" he heard Yusei call out to the vehicle in front. "We should check out that dragon!"

"What drago- holy crap! What the hell is that thing doing there?!"

Yusei swerved his Runner towards the dragon and accelerated towards it. As they pulled closer, the Pharaoh could make out the figures sat upon the monster. There was a boy he didn't recognise with almost normal hair, his friend Joey, and most beloved of all...

Yugi.

The Pharaoh's heart swelled with joy when he saw his closest and dearest friend, safe and sound. A grin larger than any he'd ever worn before spread wide across his face, and he couldn't resist the bubbling urge to call out to him.

"YUGI!"

He saw the small figure atop the dragon do a double-take at his cry, and he chuckled quietly to himself. Then he heard the most wonderful noise in the world. The sound of Yugi's voice was like joyous bells to his ears.

"PHARAOH!"

Despite being upon a speeding Duel Runner, Yami felt the earth shake below him, ricocheting through his body, as the dragon landed on the 'ground' of the abyss, and his friends alighted. As Yusei, closely followed by Jack, swerved to a stop before it, he could hardly leap off fast enough. When he did, he was like greased lightning, and raced across the ground to sweep Yugi up in a tight embrace. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he pressed his face into Yugi's hair and nuzzled his hikari. Yugi clenched him tightly, and he was filled with so much joy that he didn't even hear Joey's muttered plea.

"Please no yaoi, please no yaoi, please no yaoi, please no yaoi..."

"Don't ever leave me again..." Yugi begged him, though it was muffled by the fact that he had his face embedded in the other's jacket.

Yusei lifted his helmet off his head, shook out his hair, and tucked it under his arm. His eyes alighted upon the sight and a soft smile lightened his features. "Aww, isn't that sweet...?" The words were soft and understanding.

"Isn't that illegal?" was Jack's reply, his expression similar to one he might wear should he ever see Kuriboh making-out with Sonic Chick. "They look like brothers."

"Actually they just share the same body, normally," Yusei informed him.

"What?! But then isn't that-"

"They're just glad to see each other." Yusei cut him off before he said something that would warrant _another_ box of brain bleach to be ordered.

Yugi and his Yami finally released their embrace. He smiled up at the Pharaoh. "I was worried about you."

"I was worried about you too." Yami's eyes shone with happiness for the safe return of Yugi. Not that part of him hadn't known that he would be safe. He knew that, and when pressured always deeply hoped that, Yugi could fend for himself. They trusted each other, and that meant that he could trust Yugi to care for their friends and everyone else. Sometimes he did it better than the Pharaoh did himself.

"Great!" Joey grinned and stepped forwards, draping his arms over the shoulders of the pair. "We can get out of here, now the gang's all together..."

"Oh I don't think so," a strong, masculine voice interrupted from close by. Heads turned, and the mouths of Yugi, Yami, Joey and Jaden opened wide in a startled gasp.


	5. Battle

A/N- Phew! Finally finished! This has taken me hours! I put a lot of effort into this one! It's a little morbid in parts, but I have to admit, I do quite like a little morbidity (is that a word? I don't know!)... I hope you like it! I took advice from people's reviews, made it a longer chapter, added a bit more description, kept a little humour... sorry I couldn't add every character asked for, hopefully I can do some more research and add a few others in later, if it fits the plot. I haven't seen a lot of episodes of GX or 5DS...

Anyway, hope you like it! And thanks again, reviewers/favers/alert-ers! Oh, and a virtual cookie for everyone who picks up on the references I scattered throught this chapter. I wonder if you can find them all? Please R&R, it would mean a lot to me!

--

**Chapter 5**

"What do you mean, 'the gang's all together'? Aren't you forgetting, oh, at least four people? Probably more, due the alarming amount of total strangers I can see cluttering up the place around here…"

Jack bared his teeth in indignation at the tall man standing with his arms crossed, totally at ease, before him. "Now listen here," he yelled at the smirking figure, "Nobody, _nobody,_ talks like that about Jack Atlas and lives to tell the tale! Now grab your duel deck and we'll kick this duel into overdrive!"

The man laughed out loud, arms still crossed, and then a wicked grin seeped across his features. "You really don't want to do that."

"I assure you I do!" Jack growled back, taking a step forwards towards the figure, shoulders tensed in anger and humiliation.

"You really, _really, _shouldn't duel with _me_," the man replied, lowering his face until his eyes burned up at Jack from the tops of their sockets. His hair cast a shadow over the top half of his face, and the sight was so sinister it sent a shiver up the spine of every duelist present, except for Jack.

"And who might you be then?!" Jack snapped back. The words came out hotly, but slightly more subdued than before. It seemed that the man's aura could penetrate even the great Jack Atlas.

"Hmn," the man smirked, a small smile twisting up in one corner of his mouth. He snickered, and then his snicker gradually grew into a full blown chorus of laughter. He threw his head back, spread his arms out and howled like a maniac.

Yugi winced. He knew where this was going.

As the man reeled in control of himself, and composed his expression once again, the smile remained. He chuckled quietly one last time, the sort of quiet that embodies the calm before the storm, and then spoke only four simple words.

"I am Seto Kaiba."

The reaction was instantaneous. Jack eyes widened slightly, and his leer dissipated like mist to be replaced with a subtle slack-jawed gawk. Yusei gave a small gasp behind him, but Jack's reaction was far more pronounced. Not only did his eyes reflect his shock, but his body did too. His shoulders, previously hunched forwards, reeled back in disbelief, and his head cracked back upon its neck. His teeth snapped and clenched together so hard any onlooker would have thought his jaw would break.

"Kaiba?!" the twang of his accent was more pronounced than ever before, and Jaden had to stifle a giggle despite being in awe at the CEO too.

"Nice to see you recognize me," Kaiba chuckled. His laughter, despite being laughter, still managed to sound menacing. Only Seto himself knew how he managed to inject it with such venom. "I see my reputation, or should I say my name, precedes me."

"Grr…" Jack growled. Then he thought, 'I have to show this guy who the real king is. I can't have somebody else lording it over me!'

"That's it, _Kaiba_! I challenge you to a duel right now!"

Kaiba stopped sniggering. He gazed flatly out at Jack, and, somehow, Jack met his gaze without flinching.

"You still want to challenge me?" His tone showed mild surprise, but it could easily have been faked.

"Damn right I do!" Jack retorted, beginning to turn towards his Runner. He was stopped in his tracks by the sight of Kaiba coolly wagging his finger and tutting "Uh uh uh…"

Yugi, Yami and Joey were instantly reminded of Pegasus, though Seto's action was wholly his own.

"No _motorcycles_," he jeered, eyes flicking from the nearby ground to his left, right up to Jack Atlas' face. "How we're dueling, we don't need _motorcycles_…"

"Fine then. Traditional dueling is alright by me." Jack raised one arm up for his duel disk, and then realized that he wasn't wearing one. He glanced to his runner, but it wasn't there either.

"There're no duel disks here," Kaiba informed him, arms crossed once again. "There're only the cards."

"What the hell do you mean by that then?!" Jack yelled back, right at Kaiba's face. He was getting impatient with all this guy's poncy bullcrap.

"I mean," Kaiba replied evenly, though in his piercing blue eyes were the flickering embers of irritation. "That I've discovered-" At this point he shot a brief, hate-filled, glance in the direction of Joey. "-that all you can summon here are real monsters."

Jack's face was stunned again. Everyone's was.

"No duels…" Yugi whispered, hand sliding to the holder which contained his cards.

"…Only bitter brawls to the death." Yami finished the statement for him. It was a bleak outlook.

"All right then. Why don't you go first and show us how it's done, oh glorious CEO?"

Kaiba's calm composure finally slipped. "You'll wish you'd never said that." His hand slid down to his belt and he plucked a card from his own holder. "I summon the Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Yugi and Jaden shook in terror as a deafening boom of thunder ripped through their ears, and blazing bolts of lightning shredded their way out of the card. Yami slid his arm around his partner as a dark chasm stained with blue and purple opened up from the card's centre, and a magnificent dragon erupted from its heart.

"The Blue Eyes White Dragon… I thought it was only a legend," Yusei murmured as twin reflections of the beast filled his eyes.

"It was never just a legend," Yugi breathed back. Even he was gazing in awe at the proud creature before him.

Jack stepped back in amazement. A tingle flitted throughout his body. Here was a living, breathing Blue Eyes White Dragon. For a second, he was totally speechless. After a long moment, he finally replied.

"Right then! I summon my Red Dragon Archfiend!"

As he held up his card, another earth-shattering roar of thunder heralded a dragon's arrival, and this time a vast black vortex scattered with crimson and magenta opened to snapping bolts of bright scarlet lightning which lashed and leapt from its core. Finally the dragon itself sprang forth from its depths and the vortex was quelled.

"FIGHT!" both Kaiba and Jack commanded at the same time.

The reaction was almost spontaneous. Both monsters sprang at each other with a shrieking, guttural venom, and as soon as they made contact, they began to rip and tear at each other with such vicious malice that, for a second, some of the watchers had to look away. The battle, if you could call it a battle, was interspersed with blasts from each dragon's mouth, and plumes of fire and pure energy filled the air.

"White Lightning! Burst Stream of Destruction!" Seto yelled at his dragon, eyes lighting up in determination and sadistic glee. "Destroy his dragon! Defend my honour! I am the master of dragons!"

"Scorching Crimson Flare! Absolute Power Force!" Jack screamed in retort, the crackles of red fire lighting up his eyes. Yusei noticed a glint of insanity beginning to show itself within them, and the thought worried him. Jack's scream of command continued.

"Wipe out his Blue-Eyes! Shatter his pride! I am the king of all duels!"

"I thought that was Yugi and I," the Pharaoh muttered, his arms crossed and a deep frown shadowing his face as the blasts of light played across his features, making them continually shift and ebb.

The dragons continued to literally rip each other apart. Crimson blood spattered both the floor and the two dragon masters, though they didn't seem to notice or care. Both had a fire in their eyes. A blazing inferno of pride, passion, rage and resolve. Both were single-minded that _they_ would be the victor of this battle, and nothing would get in their way. They wouldn't stop until the bitter end, when all hope was lost.

"Monsters aren't meant to fight, not like this…" Yugi's eyes glittered with tears, and his fingers clenched into shaking fists. He wrapped them around his torso to keep his bleeding heart within his chest. Tears began to flow down his cheeks, and he wept so hard he was convinced channels and grooves would form down his face.

Upon hearing his words, Yami glanced down at his partner and saw the heartrending expression. His eyebrows raised in realization and he turned his head back round to truly take in the sight of the dragons horrific clash. Their conflict was, beyond doubt, truly brutal, and he realized as his eyes absorbed the fight that this was _wrong_. It was beyond a duel. It was too far. Yugi was right. Even with real monsters, duels were never like this. It was as if something had infected the monsters and their duelists and tainted their minds. This was a fight that no-one could win.

Yusei's face was grim as he took in the battle. He knew that it should stop. That it _must_ stop. But he also knew that to run in and try to halt it now would be suicide. Whoever tried it would be ripped to shreds by fangs and claws, or blasted to dust by the dragon's incinerating blasts. There was no way to end this conflict without death.

Yugi's whole body shook with sobs, his naturally wide eyes clenched tightly shut to block out the sight. But he could still hear it. The bloodlust in the cries of the duelists, the howls of pain from the dragons as they were ripped apart, the roars of hate and rage of the monsters as they fought for their master's pride and their own survival. He couldn't take it.

"STOP IT! PLEASE STOP IT!" he screamed, voice breaking with emotion, as he finally lost control and sprinted forwards towards the battle.

"JUST STOP!"

"Yugi! No!" Yami yelled, throwing one arm out towards his friend, knowing in his heart that his reaction was too late, that there was nothing he could do…

"It's mental! You'll be killed!" Yusei called out. "Don't do it!"

"Yug!" Joey cried.

The dragons' eyes glinted as they caught sight of the tiny figure trying to stop their battle. They felt their masters' resolve waver, but they were fueled by rage, by the thirst for blood. Their battle couldn't stop, it _mustn't_ stop.

The Blue Eyes turned and roared, shaking Yugi's tiny frame so hard he was almost knocked to the ground. But he clenched his teeth together and drove onwards. "Kaiba, Jack, please, just stop…"

"Yugi, no! Get back!" Kaiba was shocked by his sudden concern for his rival's safety. He didn't know where it came from, but he had the sudden urge to shield him from the dragons. To stop him from getting hurt…

Too late. The Blue Eyes howled again and launched a blast straight at Yugi. He saw it coming, but there was no way he could get out of the way or stop it. There was nothing he could do.

"Please, stop…" he whispered.


	6. Grief

A/N- Thanks for all your lovely reviews! This chapter is unfortunately still quite morbid, so sorry about that (unless you happen to like the morbidness). Yet again I have listened to, and taken advice from all your reviews, and added more improvements to my storywriting technique. In particular thank you to all the anonymous reviewers who I can't send a personal review reply to. I promise it should get happier after this.

If you would be so lovely as to read and review, it would really make my day! (Seriously, I do sit at the laptop, logged into my e-mail all day, and literally woot out loud whenever I hear the 'You have e-mail' message.)

Enjoy the chapter!

--

**Chapter 6**

Six pairs of lungs ceased breathing as a terrible inferno broke out before them. Six pairs of ears suddenly possessed wolven acuteness as they picked up what could have potentially been Yugi Mutou's final words.

"Please, stop..."

Joey sprang forwards, ready to push his friend out of the way, but he was too slow. Yami's hand reached for his cards, trying to summon a monster to block the attack, but his action was in vain. None of them possessed reflexes fast enough to save the young duelist's life.

Wind rushed through the abyss, fluttering and splaying his jacket out behind him. His hair danced madly around his head, and his wide purple eyes took in the apocalyptic nightmare reaching for him. With his last strength he fought against the forces pushing him back and flung his arms up above his face, twisting his head away and clenching his terrified eyes shut. He knew what was coming, but had no time left to brace himself for it.

Yugi burned.

A piercing scream cut through the air like a knife, and not one of the onlookers failed to shed a tear but for Kaiba and Jack, who simply looked on, numb to any sensation.

When all had ended, there was nothing left. No Puzzle, no cards, no lock of hair. Nothing. Not even dust.

The world had turned upside-down. Yami clenched his eyes shut. "No..." he moaned, fists clenching and shaking in agony. "Oh God please no..." He moaned and sobbed in anguish, slumping to his knees and screaming to a dead world.

"This has to be Hell..." Yusei murmured blankly, voice empty of emotion. "Because all light has gone out."

"Please, just MAKE IT STOP!" the Pharaoh screamed to the heavens. His hands, claw like and stretched so tight his knuckles where a pallid white, dug into his scalp as he howled in sorrow.

Tendrils of black mist crept through the abyss, engulfing the twin dragons and dissolving them to ash. Seto's card slipped from his fingers and dropped to the floor with a faint thump. How many times had he envisioned the downfall of his rival; how many times had he prayed that it would come about by his hands? But he had never imagined it would be like this. He had never thought that his hands would be stained with the blood of the innocent. He had never believed he could fall so low, that he could become like his father. A murderer-once-removed.

"Yugi..." His voiced caressed the word, although he'd never have believed his tongue would do that either. His throat clenched and was filled with a deep longing that would have been nigh impossible moments before.

"I don't... I can't..." Jack's brain just couldn't get the words out. This would never have happened if he hadn't been such an idiot. If he hadn't risen to Kaiba's taunts. They'd been wrong before. They hadn't been battling with monsters. They themselves had been the monsters.

--

Darkness. An all-encompassing void of empty space, with no light to be found. If there were illumination, darks mists would be swirling, but there was nothing. Light is so often accompanied by sound, and with the absence of one came the absence of the other. But unlike sound, gravity, _weight,_ is not tied so intricately to light, and without the latter, it still thrived. Matter existed also, if you could call the half-life it possessed in the void an existence.

But then, without its companion, there was sound in the dark.

It began as a gush of wind on a tiny scale, but in the void it may as well have been cosmic. The gush was joined by a short splutter, a cough, which seemed to echo back time and time again. Matter, no, a _figure_, blinked open its eyes and sat up awake.

--

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Jaden suddenly burst out screeching. With surprising speed he sprang at Kaiba and tackled him to the ground. "You murderer!"

Even those who had known him for only minutes could tell that this was out of character for the boy.

"Jaden, no! Cool it!" Joey ran forwards, closing the gap between himself and the tussling pair. Seto had not been fighting back, for once he had simply gone numb, and allowed his attacker to leave him with arms and a chest that would no doubt be painted with violet bruises by the following day. Jaden did not cease his assault, he punched with such alarming velocity that each strike was delivered like twin cobras. His teeth were bared and he hissed and spat like a cat as he delivered each blow. Joey reached the pair quickly and hooked one arm around Jaden's torso, heaving him upwards and backwards with all his strength, the teen's shirt folding over his jacket sleeve as he crushed the limb into Jaden's chest. He used his other arm to push off against the ground; the boy was surprisingly heavy and was putting up a hell of a fight.

Yusei sprinted over and wrapped his arms around Jaden too, encompassing him. Both restraining duelists hauled with all their might, and succeeded in separating the teen from his victim. "Calm down, Jaden!" Joey pleaded with him, though it came out half-sounding like a yell. "Do you want someone else to die too?"

Silence rang after his words. Suddenly, it seemed to sink in to everyone present, the true nature of what had just happened. Yugi was dead. The word seemed to hang in the air, engulfing and consuming the soul of everyone. Death. The final barrier. The ultimate fate. The inescapable destiny.

Finally, a voice spoke. It was only a whisper, the deluded mumblings of a man driven half-insane with grief. "I should have... I could have... I'm a... I... I..."

Yami's voice broke, but it was far behind his heart. That had shattered the moment the dragon had attacked.

As silent as a mime, simply going through the motions, too numb to speak, Joey offered Kaiba his hand. Torpidly, the CEO took it, for once not protesting against the touch of one considered an inferior man. The dog helped its master to his feet, and Seto brushed down his jacket in a daze. Beside them, Jack Atlas finally fell to his knees.

"What have we done?" he asked to nobody. Just as well, for everybody, and at the same time nobody, had an answer.

--

Like an avian rocket, the Duel Runner sped through the abyss. The roar of the engine carried for miles around, fading into nothing with the utmost reluctance. The rider raised one hand and pushed back his helmet, which was beginning to tilt and slip down his face. He had to believe that there was someone else out there in this nightmare of nothing. He couldn't possibly be the only one here. Unless this was some sort of dream, or nightmare. He hadn't yet ruled out that possibility, despite pinching himself multiple times and accidentally wheeling his Runner over his toe.

From up ahead came the sound of ripping and crunching. They were the sort of noises that send chills down the spines of even the toughest of warriors. Sickly, snapping sounds and guttural screeches which warned of the most insurmountable danger. The man was considering turning away, even he might not be able to stomach whatever was out there, but then came a scream. It wasn't the scream of an animal, a beast, it was the scream of a boy, cut off in its prime by whatever fate had suddenly awaited him.

That settled it. He couldn't leave someone out there. Not when here was a chance they might be alive and only injured. Despite the horrific sounds he'd heard before, there was still hope. He hit the accelerator and sped onwards.

--

A deathly silence hung in the air around the six duelists, save for the occasional heartbroken sobbing and muttering that the Pharaoh let out every minute or so. Joey's head hung, and one hand was placed softly, and yet roughly too, over his own heart. Jack was on his hands and knees, eyes staring out, lost, into the white. Jaden had finally calmed down and he too gazed out emptily. Seto was most deeply affected, bar Yami, and his eyes were clenched tightly shut, trying to block out reality with the sheer force of his own will. But even Seto Kaiba's will was not great enough for that.

The stillness was broken by the sudden hum that reverberated through the air. Yusei looked up from his grieving trance and noticed the dot on the horizon. But he was the only one. The others were all far too gone to perceive or care. Glancing around, he saw despairing, blank faces and no interest whatsoever. Turning back to the dot, he was able to make out the shape of a very familiar Duel Runner. His eyes widened in surprise and the tiniest flicker of out-of-place happiness.

The vehicle swerved to a stop metres away, and a most welcome figure, in Yusei's opinion, dismounted. Taking off his helmet and shaking out his spiky ginger hair, Crow smiled at his friend.

"Hey Yusei!" he greeted brightly. And then the atmosphere sunk in. He looked around and surveyed the sea of deathly, lifeless faces staring blankly at nothing in particular. "Why does everybody look like someone's walked over their grave?"

"Because Yugi's dead." Yusei's eyes flicked surprisingly to the hunched figure who had spoken. It was the first coherent thing the Pharaoh had said since the incident.

"Dead...?" Crow's face was torn between sympathy, understanding and mild confusion. "But... who's Yugi?"

"A new friend," Yusei explained, gravely, placing one hand on Crow's shoulder. The newcomer turned his head to look directly at his comrade.

"Hang on..." he said, blinking in sudden realisation. "Yugi? Surely you don't mean..."

Yusei nodded, anticipating the end of the question. "Yugi Mutou. The original King of Games."

Crow let out a small gasp and his eyes roamed once again around the loose circle of mourners. "I'm so sorry..." he muttered.

Yusei tightened his grip on his friend's shoulder. "It's okay. You didn't know."

"But here... this place is so impossible... maybe there's a way to get him back?"

Yusei opened his mouth to speak a solemn reply, but was interrupted by a deep-voiced response from another of the duelists.

"What did you say?" There was an edge to the Pharaoh's tone which made Crow and Yusei both jolt slightly.

"We don't know how this place works. Maybe we can get him back," he repeated hesitantly.

Yami stood up and locked the man with a blazing gaze. His eyes were almost literally on fire, and Crow felt as though the intense heat of his gaze would set his clothes on fire.

"We're going to save him." He announced it with such fervour, such determination, that everyone at last looked up, and it sounded like an absolute certainty.

"What did you say?" Seto asked, blue eyes dull and murky. His voice was limp, lifeless...

"I said we're going to save him."

"But he's dead. You're no Greek hero. You can't get him back," Jaden retorted, head raised up from the cradle of his hands.

"We _are_ going to save him."

And this time nobody questioned him.


	7. Afterlife

A/N- Thanks yet again to everyone who's read, reviewed, favourited and story-alerted this fic! You people are simply epic! Sorry this chapter took a while to get up, I've been seriously busy this week and have had no time whatsoever to get any substantial writing done. That's why this chapter's also a little shorter, but I also thought it was a good point to end it. I've stayed up 'til half past midnight just to get it finished, so I hope you all enjoy it! Your reviews and crtiques are always extremely appreciated!

Oh, and it's time to celebrate! Why? Because this fic now has an actual plot! -shocked gasps- I know! We finally find out some information! Yay! And there's a little twist too! Huzzah!

And also, I have put a poll up on my profile page asking what you want to see more of in this fic. Please help me improve this story by taking just a minute or two to go and vote once you've finished this chapter. It'll make this fic even better and I'd really appreciate your input! Thank you!

**--**

**Chapter 7**

"Damn it!"

The teen cursed and slammed his fists down on the table, rattling the playing pieces around.

"Cool it," the second of the pair replied, reaching one hand forward calmingly, but then hesitating when he saw a look of frustration crossed with impish glee in his friend's eyes. With a small smile he lowered it to the table and straightened up their game.

"You sunk my battleship!" the first boy protested again, "How the hell do you know?!"

His mate grinned sheepishly and closed his eyes to emphasise the expression, reaching back with one hand to scratch the back of his head through his excessive mass of snow-white hair. He chuckled faintly and opened his eyes again, replying,

"I'm not reading your mind or anything; I'm just really good at this game. Besides, when you keep looking at your ships I can sort of guess it from where you're looking down to."

Subconsciously, he reached one hand down to where his Millennium Ring would once have been. His fingers twitched, clutching unthinkingly at empty air, before falling slack onto his lap.

With a sigh, the first and most frustrated of the two teens turned and stared out of the window. Outside he could see houses, people, birds, trees... it was nothing like his home, but it was a world he had always wanted to belong to. A gentle breeze wafted in from outside, and his hair fluttered around his shoulders. Hi eyes glazed over as they stared at, what was to him, a paradise outdoors. His thoughts swirled with memories of his past, but as they did so he felt a deep aching in his chest. A passionate longing, a _yearning_ for his beautiful golden home.

The white-haired boy noticed his friend's head was in the clouds. "What are you thinking about, Marik?" he asked politely, sliding his elbows forwards across the table, hands cupped around his pale cheeks, leaning in towards his sun-kissed friend.

Marik's head jerked around and his hand slipped from beneath his chin. His eyes widened fractionally in shock, then calmed when they caught sight of the boy's innocent and inquisitive expression.

"I was just... thinking about Egypt. I suppose I... miss it..." The explanation was broken as he tried to think of words to sum up the swirling mass of feelings within him. "But, it's difficult to explain. I don't think you could fully understand, Ryou..."

Marik flinched almost invisibly, his mind immediately filling with visions of apocalyptic reactions Bakura could have to his suddenly very ill-thought-out words. But instead, the chocolate-eyed teen smiled his small, infant-like smile and blinked warmly. "I suppose not. It's very nice of Ishizu to bring you all to visit, anyway."

The youngest Ishtar sighed internally and grinned back. "I suppose she just wants to check up on Yugi. And the Pharaoh."

Ryou nodded and began to absent-mindedly twiddle and slide around a small battleship with his finger. A pause hung in the air for a moment while both boys contemplated their next words, then Bakura suddenly stood up, knocking back his chair in his sudden motion. He pressed his palms down on the table and leant forwards on them slightly. He was beaming.

"Why don't I go make us some tea?" he asked, still grinning fit to burst.

Marik was slightly taken aback by his action, but managed to stutter out a rather hasty, "Y... ye... yes...I'd love some..."

_Still _smiling, Ryou slid his chair back under the table and turned to head towards the kitchen. He was, however, interrupted by a sudden rush of wind from the opposite direction to the open window, which began as a light breeze, and rapidly built up to such a frenzy that his hair whipped about his head and lashed him savagely in the face. Across the room, Marik was having a similar problem, and had raised one arm in front of his head to shield himself from both his hair and the quickly brightening glow which was dawning in the air from one side of the room.

"What's happening?!" Ryou yelled over the tumultuous commotion of the gushing wind, and the crash and smash as many of the room's objects were cast about like a city caught in a typhoon.

"_Allow me to answer that,_" a voice seeped through the air as the howl of the wind was suddenly quelled. As both boys lowered their hands from their faces, they saw a shadowy figure emerge from the light, another, but far smaller and hunched over, figure being towed along behind him by an indistinct, wraith-like chain.

"Who the hell are you?!" Marik blurted out, gazing up, eyes wide in terror and surprise, at the terrifying spirit.

"_That is not important, Marik Ishtar. What _is _important is that either you or your friend Ryou Bakura hand over your body to me._"

Both boys stepped back in shock. Not only had this figure just opened a vortex and appeared before them, now he was immediately demanding control of their bodies!

"Why on earth would we do that?" Ryou demanded, back straightening and arms instinctively clutching around his fragile frame as if to press himself to his body. He didn't need this. Not now... He didn't want any more...

"_I need a body to exist in any realm other than my own. Your world, the Paradox Abyss... I can access neither without first obtaining a body. And that's where you two come in..."_

"There's no way you're having _our_ bodies!" Marik yelled at the man, springing up from his seat and sending his chair tumbling backwards in the process. His arms where stuck out straight behind him, fists tightly clenched, eyebrows sharply sloping down in a look of intense fury.

"_Oh, but I have leverage..."_ the mysterious body snatcher responded, yanking the chain and snapping it so violently it would have choked the life out of anyone connected to it. The hunched, shivering figure upon whose neck it was looped around was suddenly sent tumbling forwards.

Both Ryou and Marik gasped in disbelief.

The small figure groped around until he was able to slowly push his way up onto his hands and knees. From there he attempted to stand, but he didn't get further than half way up before he collapsed back down again. There was not one blemish on his deathly pale skin, but his face was so pallid it had faded to the colour of Ryou's hair, and there were dark tints under his eyes which suggested he had not slept in an eternity. He seemed limp, lifeless and lost. His eyes were dull to the point that not even the light from the vortex nor the nearby window cast reflections across them. It was a heartbreaking sight to behold.

"Yugi..." Bakura breathed, unclasping one hand from around his torso and reaching out towards the ghostly boy. Yugi's head turned briefly up towards him at the sound of his own name, but at a crack of the chain his gaze returned to the floor, and he slumped down onto the ground once again.

"You bastard! You monster! Let him go!" Marik took a step forwards, but the figure held up a hand and stopped him.

"_Ah ah ah... I'm afraid that's not possible unless you co-operate," _he tutted tauntingly.

"If you need a body and you have him, why not use his?" Bakura regretted his choice of words. He didn't want this man to use Yugi's body for anything, but curiosity had gotten the better of him. Besides, the more they knew about this man and how he worked, the better. Especially as it now looked like they had someone to save.

"_I'm afraid that dear little Yugi doesn't exactly have a body at the moment. I used my last vestiges of power to steal history's greatest duelists to the Paradox Abyss, the world which bridges yours and mine, where time and space intertwine and meld until they no longer exist. Unfortunately for Yugi here, death in the Paradox Abyss is not the same as death in your world. To die there is to go to a hellish abyss under my rule, where the souls of the dead feed my strength and serve my every whim and desire..."_

"You're sick!" Marik interrupted him. The figure frowned.

Meanwhile, Bakura had begun to start putting the little fragments of information they had together. Apparently there were three worlds: his, the Paradox Abyss, and this figure's world. The last was like an afterlife for those who died in the Paradox Abyss, and it was a horrific, nightmarish hell. This man couldn't pass between worlds without a body, and he needed a lot of power to influence the other worlds. He also 'fed' off of the souls of the dead in his world, which explained why he could now manifest here and why he hadn't before- Yugi was now under his control.

But clearly just having Yugi's soul wasn't enough to allow him to carry out whatever sinister plan he must have in mind, so he therefore needed a body to go into the Paradox Abyss and claim the souls of the universe's other great duelists. Probably only then would he have enough power to implement whatever global destruction he had in mind.

The figure was already continuing to speak.

"_I would make your mind up soon on whether or not to relinquish your form to me. If you do I will release Yugi's soul back to your world. He will live once more. But you must be quick; to lose someone to another world will affect the course of history, and the stability of the worlds. Your world will change and perish if he is not released soon, so great is his impact upon history. Your home does not have long left..."_

Marik was backing away slowly, one palm pressed tightly to his forehead, teeth gritted and head swaying in anger and confusion. Ryou's gaze flitted between his friend, the outside world through the window and the ghostly form of Yugi lying tortured on the ground. The King of Games let out a faint moan of pain, and Ryou's heart skipped a beat and broke. Unthinkingly, he crossed the room in four strides and began to crouch down towards Yugi, left arm reaching out to him.

Suddenly, an ice-cold grip seized his outstretched wrist. He gasped in shock and his head span round, eyes wide, to stare into the blank mask of the nightmarish man.

"_Your bleeding heart is mine."_


	8. Idea

A/N- Sorry this chapter took a while to get up- I've been really busy and really tired these past few days! I went to see New Moon on Saturday, and then straight after went to an Alice Cooper concert. Then on Sunday I was dragged out to go hang with my friends, and on Monday I had an english essay to write (urgh...). And then yesterday I had school and more homework. But today I have found time! And this is the longest chapter yet!

The last chapter only got 2 reviews, which was kinda dissapointing. Wasn't it that good? -sighs- Please, please, please try and review this chapter! They mean so much to me! Oh, and I've still got that poll up on my profile page, so if you haven't already, please just take a minute after reading this chapter to go and vote. It'll help me to make this fic even better, and your input is very greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

--

**Chapter 8**

Jaden was still sat on the floor, knees bent and hands clasped together around his legs. His eyes were busy surveying the sudden flurry of activity which had seized all the people present.

Yusei, Crow and the Pharaoh were all stood around the first's Duel Runner, explaining what had happened so far and trying to glean the slightest bit of insight from what they already _did_ know. Meanwhile, Seto and Jack were making amends, or at least, they were supposed to be. Now it looked more like they were arranging their decks on the ground for a traditional old-style duel. How they could duel without holograms, however, was inconceivable to Jaden. As was how he could possibly be taking in the sight of two grown men sitting cross-legged on the ground organizing the trading cards in front of them.

His eye alighted upon Joey Wheeler, whom he now noticed was busy poking around Jack's Duel Runner, his eyes looking fascinated. He seemed to be muttering under his breath, and at one point almost appeared to be stroking the machine. Jaden strained his ears and just managed to pick up a few snippets of his words.

"Oh yeah... look at you... I wish you were mine... come to Joey... is that a...? ... oh baby..."

Jaden began to feel suitably nauseated, but couldn't stifle the small snigger that rose up at the sight. He was treating that Runner like a woman! He was drooling over it! He was even caressing it! That was strange, because Jaden had had him pegged as more of a _dog_ person...

If Jaden had been a cat he would have swivelled his ears back round to the group at this point, since one of its member's started talking a lot louder than before.

"But we can't just leave! We don't know who else might be trapped here! We can't risk leaving somebody!"

The exclamation had come from Yusei, and was received with a nod and mutterings of agreement from Crow, and a frown and small huff of irritation from the Pharaoh. The latter was standing, back straight and arms folded across his chest, somehow managing not to look smaller and inferior despite the obvious height difference between the other men and himself. Jaden couldn't help but be slightly in awe, and made a mental note to ask for a few tips on his style for when he _himself_ was a master duelist. He knew his mediocre (although not as drastic as Yugi's) height was not a problem at Duel Academy, what with Syrus around to be the shortest, but in the outside world it could easily make him the little guy. Although, looking across the blank, white space, even being tall hadn't stopped Joey Wheeler from being marked as the underdog. Jaden sniggered again. Under_dog_...

He heaved himself to his feet, and was just about to go and contribute to the 'Saving Little Yugi' discussion when something less important, but a lot more amusing, distracted him.

"I activate my Crush Card Virus trap!" Seto Kaiba called out, swinging his arm outwards in a gesture that would have, in any normal duel, activated the card.

Jack sat there for a minute and, along with all the others who were now watching and blinking in bemusement, stared. Then, he replied, "Well, what are you waiting for?"

Kaiba looked down and realised that he hadn't flipped over the card. Damn it! He was so used to using his super-advanced holograms that he'd forgotten that normal bits of cardboard don't just flip themselves over on your command. Trying to look nonchalant and that he'd known that all along, he casually flipped the card over and composed his steely, intimidating glare once more. Even Jack had to mentally admit that Seto Kaiba looked like a God of Destruction at work; his face was condemning, full of merciless glee and vengeful wrath. Perhaps with some crimson-red mood lighting and dark ominous clouds in the background he'd seem invincible.

"Riiiiiight..." Crow muttered, and then turned back to the huddle, along with Yusei and Yami. They began to talk once again about what their next move should be.

"Perhaps we should all summon our best monsters and then scout around for anybody. If we don't find someone within, let's say, the next hour or so, then we can assume no-one else is here and go. Is that a reasonable compromise, Pharaoh?"

The Ancient Egyptian looked slightly more appeased, but Crow interjected. "We can't do that, Yusei. Look what happened last time somebody summoned a monster. And what if someone _is_ here, but we don't find them? We could be leaving somebody behind."

The Pharaoh growled and opened his mouth to object, but Yusei got there before him. "Hang on, Crow. It's not a bad idea, but we just need some way to find out for certain whether or not anyone else is here before we leave."

"But how do we do that?" the ginger asked. "We're duelists, not detectives. All we have are cards and Duel Runners."

At that point, Jaden's head whipped round, and he stared, wide-eyed, at the three men.

' "_We're duelists, not detectives..." ... "Duelists..."_ '

"I've got it!" Jaden yelled, leaping round to face the group. They all stared at him in amazement, but the young man noticed that at least Crow's eyes showed a sparkle of hope. The Pharaoh's eyes were intense; he seemed like a prowling cat, a sharp-eyed falcon... He was always on the ball, always braced for whatever came at him next. He had pinned his jacket back behind his shoulders like a cape, and the black sleeveless top he was wearing underneath only served to bring out and intensify his dark eyes even further. Yusei's expression was surprised but ready. It was obvious he had been in this sort of situation many times before.

"What is it?" the dark-haired duelist from the Satellite asked, locking eyes with Jaden. The latter grinned and took a few steps closer.

"I know how we can work out who's here or not."

"How?" the Pharaoh asked, expression never changing. He was blunt and to the point.

"Well, we're all duelists, right?" Jaden began, and the three others nodded. Behind him, he heard the sounds of Kaiba and Jack's footsteps approaching as they came to stand nearby.

"Yes, and we're the _best_ duelist's too," Jack responded, "Well, maybe except for Kaiba here..."

Seto glared at him murderously.

"That's exactly what I mean. We are the best duelists there are. Yugi, well, the Pharaoh..."

Yami nodded. "The King of Games."

Jaden nodded too in response and carried on. "Me." He grinned. "And from what I've heard, Yusei and Jack, you're the two best duelists in Neo Domino City."

The two aforementioned men nodded, but then Yusei asked, "What about Crow?"

Jaden thought about it for a second, then asked, "Where were you when you were moved here?"

"I was fixing my Duel Runner. I asked Yusei to hand me a spanner-" He fished in his pocket and pulled out the tool. "-and then I passed out when I took hold of it."

Jaden nodded and turned to Yusei. "Were you still holding onto the spanner when you passed out?"

Yusei nodded, and his mouth opened in realisation. "We were connected..."

"But then why didn't you arrive together?" Kaiba asked, taking a step forwards.

"Yugi and I share the same body and we arrived separately, in different places," Yami pointed out.

"But Yusei and I are also signers," Jack stated. "What about Akiza, or Leo and Luna? They could be here too."

"Or some of the others from Duel Academy."

"What about Bakura or Pegasus? Or Marik? They could be here as well," Yami replied.

"Only you would think of them as great duelists. To be honest I'm surprised even the _dog_ is counted as one," came Kaiba's dry response.

Joey, still standing near the Duel Runner, glared daggers at the CEO.

"Have any of you got a phone?" Jaden asked, holding out one hand, ready to receive whichever one he was given first. He grinned sheepishly. "Mine's kinda out of credit."

The surrounding duelists frisked their pockets, and a selection of communication devices were produced. Jaden looked down at the Pharaoh's. "Motorola RAZR. Very suave."

Kaiba turned his nose up and sniffed. "Cheap and outdated, if you ask me."

Both Jaden and the Pharaoh turned and inspected Seto's own personal communication appliance. He had a very expensive-looking device, akin to a Blackberry, which seemed to be extremely flashy and more of a status symbol than a phone. Jaden held one hand out for it, but Kaiba huffed and pulled it back from Jaden's reach. "There's no way you're using _my_ phone."

Jaden rolled his eyes but lowered his arm and turned back to Yami. "Can we use yours then?" he asked, and the Pharaoh nodded, handing over the black gadget.

"Whose numbers do we have?" he asked, looking round the loose circle of people. "Who might be here?"

"I have Bakura's, and Marik's," the Pharaoh told him, nodding down to his phone.

"And I have Pegasus'..." Kaiba sighed, folding his arms and looking away.

"I've got the numbers for Syrus, Alexis and Chazz," Jaden told them, switching on the phone simultaneously.

"And I have Akiza's and Luna's on my phone," Yusei finished.

"OK, everyone gather round and give me the numbers. We'll call them one-by-one..." Jaden instructed, and those who had numbers to give moved closer until they were all hunched over the tiny screen on Yami's phone.

Jack, meanwhile, not really giving a toss about what the others were up to, turned and looked away, over to where his Duel Runner was parked. His eyes fixed upon it, and then widened in horror. He let out a strangled gasp.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to my Runner?!" he choked out, gazing in slack-jawed amazement to where Joey Wheeler had climbed onto and was caressing his vehicle.

"Hey, Jack, how does this thing start?" Joey asked back, grinning and waving over at him.

Meanwhile, the others had all turned round and were gawping too, for one reason or another. Jaden was half-way through trying to call Akiza. Crow rubbed his eyes in shock, Yusei brushed his hair back from his face, and Kaiba smiled smugly.

"Looks like Wheeler's got a Runner fetish," he said.

While Jack leapt forwards to separate Joey from his bike, Yami thought about how, if Yugi had been there, he'd have probably had to cover his partner's eyes. This scene was probably just a little to disturbing for him. But then, the thought of Yugi made the hollow space where his heart had been ache, and he forced himself to use that pain as fuel for the burning fire of his determination to get the boy back. Crow had been right. This place was different, and there was always hope.

"No answer from Akiza or Luna," Jaden informed them quietly, his eyes locked on the squabble a few metres away. "The signal can't reach their phones."

"Then they're not here," Yusei told him, leaning one arm forwards. "I should probably go break that up..." He squared his shoulders and strode over to the childlike fight which was taking place.

"I'll try my friends." Jaden leaned over towards Yami and spoke. The Pharaoh nodded, unable to tear his eyes away from what was happening. The scene was almost cartoonish. Jack had Joey in a headlock, but Joey had braced one foot against the other's stomach and was kicking hard, trying to break away. Yusei meanwhile, had squirmed in between the two, but had ended up with his face jammed against Jack's , while Joey was almost ripping his hair out, using him as a lever to help pull away from the blond.

A couple of minutes of watching the struggle later, Jaden leaned over to the Pharaoh once again.

"No answer from my friends, or Pegasus. I'm gonna try Marik now, and then it's just Bakura left."

The Pharaoh nodded, and then, frowning in consternation, he stepped forwards and headed over to the ruckus, having finally decided to try and break it up.

Jaden glanced down at the phone from the brouhaha, and pressed the down button as the shortcut for the phonebook. He hit 'M' for Marik, and then scrolled to it, noting the name 'Mokuba' underneath. He hit the green dial button and, surprisingly, the phone rang.

It rang.

And rang.

And rang.

But no answer.

"Damn it!" Jaden cussed, flipping the phone shut.

"What is it?" Seto asked, raising one eyebrow and glancing down, smirking, from the rumpus, where the Pharaoh was now trying to unsuccessfully disentangle himself from where he was trapped between Joey's legs.

"The line was all crackly, but it actually rang for Marik. We got a signal."

"Why don't you try again?"

Jaden nodded and hit the redial button. This time he got the 'no signal' tone.

"No signal. It's gone."

"Right then, try Bakura."

Jaden nodded yet again and hit 'B', bringing up Bakura's entry and dialling.

It rang.

And rang.

And rang.

And then a voice answered. The line was filled with static, but it was still an answer.

"_H...hello?_" Ryou's voice came out of the speaker.

"Is that Bakura? My name's Jaden, I'm a friend of Yugi. Where are you?"

"_Help me! Please help me! I think I'm dead!_" Ryou's voice wailed down the line.

"What?!" Jaden's voice rang with shock and he twisted his head round to stare down at the phone.

"_This man came; he had Yugi's soul on a chain. He told me and Marik to hand over our bodies... then he grabbed me... now I'm stuck in a cage in some other dimension or something... I think he's doing something... it looks like a spell... I think he's going to take my body... Oh God! He's seen me! He's coming! Please God help meeeeee.....!_"

The line went dead.

Jaden looked up at Kaiba's face. Although it appeared impassive, he could see the disquiet in the man's eyes.

"What are we going to do?" he asked.


	9. Doomed

A/N- Sorry, sorry, sorry for the long time with no update! I would have gotten this written and uploaded ages ago if I hadn't been so busy and tied down that I haven't been able to read fanfic, let alone write any! Last week I was suffering from insomnia, so my parents limited my access to a computer and removed my laptop from me. And this week I've been totally busy with school and everything, but now that we've broken up for the Christmas holidays I should have more time to write, and my parents will probably return my laptop.

But please feel free to throw stuff at me, y'know, absolutely anything- bricks, money, Ancient Egyptian artifacts with magical powers, Yugi's phone number... anything! I'll try not to let this happen again! Promise!

--

**Chapter 9**

Chained to a cracked but intricately carved, Roman-style pillar, wreathed in black, misty shadows, the tiny fragment that remained of Yugi's soul looked on with all but hopefulness as the tiny frame of his pale-haired friend was flung mercilessly into a cage, the last vestiges of the portal which bore him there still hanging in the dark. The cage was bathed in a watery twilight, and as Ryou cupped one hand over his elbow, teeth clenched against the pain from the graze across one cheek, he was sent tumbling from his knees onto the hard stone floor as the door to his prison was slammed behind him. Yugi heard the breath hiss from his lips as he crawled wretchedly, an inch at a time, back onto his hands and knees, his apparently injured arm grasping one of the coal-black iron bars for support. Ryou's eyes were barely more than slits, half-closed in pain and despair at his own dejected state. It didn't seem to have sunk into him yet that his feeble body would soon become a vessel for a nightmare whose horror and destruction was on a par with the terrible monstrosities of the shadow realm. Perhaps it was even more terrible.

Yugi strained forwards, towards his friend. Even though his life was all but over, and he had been crushed and broken countless times, until his spirit had all but dissolved into ashes, some tiny part of the ghost that was all the remained of Yugi forced him into this act of compassion towards his desolate friend. But as he leaned out, the chains that gripped his neck and ankles bit into his flesh, seeming to tighten around him as he moved, as if they had a sentient state of their own. They seemed to respond to his movements and counteract him. In shock and fear he struggled harder and harder, until they all but choked the last scraps of life out of him. Yugi gasped in panic and a strangled scream gurgled from his throat. Ryou finally responded to his presence, glancing across from within his isolated cage with dying eyes. His once-bright orbs widened as they saw what was happening to Yugi, and he reached out his battered arm towards his friend.

"Yugi…" he choked out, coughing in effort and being forced to cup his reached-out arm over his mouth as the rattling spasms shook his body. The depths of sharp crimson-red eyes darted around, flickering in irritation as the passed from Ryou's fit to Yugi's struggles. They narrowed at the latter and then returned to the former, who was choking out his friend's name once again.

"_Silence!_" the figure commanded, whipping around and sending a dagger flying in the direction of Ryou Bakura. Ryou's eyes widened in fear, but he had no time to respond to the impending threat. The knife slashed across his face, slicing open the graze which had been healing over. The blade shot out of the bars on the other side of the prison and tumbled away into the darkness. At first Ryou's eyes widened in sudden pain, and then he gritted his teeth once more and forced them tight shut as a searing agony ripped through him faster than the knife blade had. A shriek of agony erupted from his lips, and he fell backwards onto the ground, his injured arm clutching his face. Blood trickled from between his fingers and dripped slowly onto the ice-cold ground as his nails dug into his flesh. A second whimper drifted from him before he fell quiet, tears joining the scarlet liquid flowing out onto the floor.

"_As for you…_" the figure snapped his fingers, and the chains that bound Yugi's spirit loosened. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity he was allowed to breathe again. "_You should know better than to resist me by now._"

Their tormentor turned around again, and resumed his previous activity. After a few moments, during which the only noise was an occasional few muffled sobs from the direction of the cage, the sound of a sinister chant drifted into Yugi's ears. At the mystical noise, even Ryou fell quiet at last, crawling into a kneeling position at the front of the cage, one hand gripping the bars as he peered out to watch the dark ritual. His eyes were moist and glistening with tears, but seemed quietly determined, as if the brunt of the pain had hardened him. His striped shirt was torn where the knife had ripped across his shoulder before cutting his face, and a tiny bead of blood was beginning to form upon the now-revealed skin, but he paid it no heed. A shimmering, swirling, gaping vortex, midnight black, was forming like a pool of water across the ancient symbols glowing into life before the man. The vortex hung in the air about a metre above the ground, the symbols, an eerie luminescent green, now rising up to circle just beneath it.

Yugi looked on at Ryou's expression, at his bravery in the face of hopeless defeat- in the face of death itself, and couldn't help but remember his own arrival in the nightmarish world of this dark god of death…

--

_Yugi stood up, reaching his arms out as he wobbled before gaining his balance. He was sure he must be dead. He felt the force of the dragon's blast, felt the agony as he body had been ripped apart and torn into nothing more than ashes…_

"_I see you have been the first to cross over into the embrace of my hell…"_

_Yugi whipped around at the sound of the voice to see a man standing a few metres away from him, wreathed in mists. The man felt impossible, his body seemed like it was formed from the inky shadows themselves, and the only __colour__ visible were two burning crimson eyes surrounded and bathed in darkness._

"_It seems my efforts were not wasted. It took so much of my energy to bring you and the rest of history's greatest duelists to the Paradox Abyss…" He drifted towards Yugi as he spoke, inky cloak drifted and swaying around him like smoke, until he stood only inches away from the young duelist. "…Albeit with a few, mistakes." He reached one arm up and cupped his hand around Yugi's chin, tilting the boy's head up. Yugi's amethyst eyes burned, and he stepped back, slapping the man's hand away._

"What do you want with me?" _Yugi asked, his voice hard but wavering slightly with fear and strain. Despite all his courage, this figure's aura was terrifying, and its sinister depths billowed out from his shadowy form and sunk deep into Yugi's very bones._

"_I brought you here to restore my strength. I draw my energy from the souls of the paradoxical dead…"_

"You feed off my life force?!"_ Yugi gasped, taking a step back. His eyes widened with shock, and he shuddered as the truth sunk in. This man was _feeding_ off of him. It felt wrong, perverted, and it sent shivers crawling up Yugi's tiny spine._

"_Not your life energy exactly. After all, you are dead. More, the energy of what remains of your soul… what _little _remains… now it is under my dominion. You are such an important individual, Yugi Mutou… vessel of the great Pharaoh, King of Games, the ultimate Duelist… you have so much energy to provide, and so much servitude to give…"_

"Servitude?! You think I'm going to be your slave?! No way!" _Yugi's eyes widened in surprise but burned with indignation and anger._

"_Oh but you have no choice…" the shadow crooned, and before Yugi could comprehend what was happening, a whip formed from the shadows and cracked across the small space between them, lashing Yugi across the chest and sending him reeling backwards, smashing down into the ground._

"_You see," continued the man, steeping over Yugi's reeling body, "You are already my slave…"_

--

Yugi had lost track of how many horrors he'd suffered, how many tortures he'd faced before he'd finally given in, before his will was broken. He had the scars riddled across his small frame to prove it, but even now, the faintest glimmers of his will had not yet gone out. It had taken a lot to force him under the figure's command; the man had even admitted himself one time, when the very knife he had just flung at Ryou had been his weapon of choice, that Yugi's will was proving to be the hardest ever to break.

Looking at Ryou now, it seemed like it was happening all over again. His memories of the Pharaoh, of his friends- Joey, Kaiba, Tristan, Téa- and of the friends he'd just met- Yusei, Jack and Jaden- had been what had kept him going, what had kept him fighting. But in the end it had all come to nothing… he had given in eventually. Time passed differently here. What was seconds in the real world, or even in the Paradox Abyss, was like a lifetime of torture here.

Ryou's face was pressed to the bars of his cage as he watched the demonic ritual play out before him and the incomprehensible words wash over his ears. It made no sense to him whatsoever, but he wouldn't give up, he would try to work out what was going on.

"_Anak sec khemplar, metsuum ayet rampcar… nebuum mortuum veskem casaar-"_

'_Mortuum_ doesn't sound good,' thought Ryou. 'Mort means death…'

"_Ryou Bakura…_"

Ryou froze, hand still clutching the bars, and his heart skipped a beat. A gasp escaped his lips as his mouth opened wide and his entire body was consumed with horror. Whatever this man was planning, it looked like he would be the victim, or even the sacrifice. But hadn't he said he wanted a body? Ryou's heart went into overdrive, pounding on with a frantic will to live. Unlike Yugi, who was left as little more than a ghost, Ryou was still very much alive- flesh, blood, tears… he still had everything, and the primal desire to remain that way overcame him. Fresh, hot, salty tears welled in his eyes as he realized with a sudden panic that he may well be doomed to die in this god-forsaken, pitch black underworld…

_Ring ring… ring ring… ring ring…_

Ryou froze once more, as did Yugi, as the sound of the phone in the living boy's pocket filled the air. Slowly, as if in a trance, Ryou reached down and slid out the device, 21st century instincts kicking in as he held in to his ear and pressed the answer button.

"H… hello?" Ryou's voice, barely more than a whisper, trembled as he spoke.

"_Is that Bakura? My name's Jaden, I'm a friend of Yugi. Where are you?" _

Ryou's gaze whipped around the nightmarish prison as he searched desperately for words to describe the horror of the place he was in. The only word which summed it up perfectly was hell, but how could he be in hell if he was still alive?

And icy chill ran up his spine. What if he'd died on his way here? What if his life had been snuffed out the moment the shadow man had grasped his arm? Although he felt alive, what if he were really…?

His voice, his plea enthused with his sudden terror, came out as a wail, "Help me! Please help me! I think I'm dead!"

Yugi's eyes widened in panic as he saw Ryou's expression. The boy was going to pieces, and now…

Yugi's heart sank as he saw their captor turn around, eyes blazing with anger, and start towards the cage. His stomach felt hollow, and a sickly feeling churned within him as he realized what would, what _must_, happen next. He missed Jaden's response; his attention was wholly upon the figure and Ryou.

"This man came; he had Yugi's soul on a chain. He told me and Marik to hand over our bodies... then he grabbed me... now I'm stuck in a cage in some other dimension or something... I think he's doing something... it looks like a spell... I think he's going to take my body..."

Ryou's explanation was cut short as he too noticed the wrathful god striding towards him. His face turned white with fear, and his mouth opened in a strangled scream.

"Oh God! He's seen me! He's coming! Please God help meeeeee.....!"

The cry filled the air as the figure wrenched open the door to the cage, bending the bars in the process. His scream continued as the man snatched the phone from him, crushing it within his fist and scattering the fragments to the shadows. Then he grabbed Ryou by the throat and held him aloft in the air, cutting off his breath until he had no more air left with which to give voice to his fear. His eyes were wide with pleading, but he knew he would receive no mercy. He gulped and choked for air like a fish out of water, his hands grabbing at the shadowy fingers gripped tight around his neck.

"_Disobey me one more time, and your soul will suffer an even worse fate than your friend's."_

With that he released Ryou, allowing the boy to drop to the ground. He lay there, gasping and panting, his own hands now delicately gripping his neck, rubbing it, massaging it, try to stem the bleeding which had now restarted. Coughs racked through his thin frame once more, and when he coughed, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, dripping from his chin. He seemed on the verge of death, and Yugi thought that it would not take much to send him passing on.

The shadow tormentor strode back across the abyss, and resumed his ancient chant. As he continued, he raised his arms to the heavens, and his voice reached a crescendo as he hit the climax of his ritual. Ryou groggily shuffled around and watched with eyes glazing over as his death approached.

"_Mesu callawai carectaar!" _A boom of thunder broke the air and Ryou screamed as his body twisted and flipped, spasmed and writhed, totally out of his control. His eyes were clenched tight shut as he called out, screaming for help and mercy, but his pleas fell upon deaf ears.

As he thrashed about, the shadows forming their captor swirled and twisted, arching into a stream which flowed in a high dome, flowing across the space. When they reached Ryou's body they smothered and cocooned him, then melted into his flesh, melding with his very tissues and cells. AT last, when there was no more of their captor left, Ryou's mouth, the screams now smothered out, slid open, and a bright glowing orb drifted from it, floating away a few metres in the air, before billowing out into the shape of Ryou Bakura. His soul had left his body.

Ryou's body slowly wafted back to the ground, where it lay for a few seconds, before the eyes snapped open and it sat up. It looked around and flexed its fingers as if trying itself out for the first time, before it rose to its feet and tested its voice.

"I am Lord Mataar," it announced, screeching the words out into the darkness, "And I live!"


End file.
